2008 Sugar Bowl proves UH fans are tops

The 2008 Sugar Bowl proved that University of Hawai‘i football fans are definitely #1 in every way, says UH Mānoa Chancellor Virginia S. Hinshaw.

"Our fans captured the heart of New Orleans with their wonderful warmth and enthusiasm, demonstrating that the ʻAloha Spirit‘ and ʻSouthern Hospitality‘ have much in common and are a terrific match. By exhibiting their support in tremendous numbers, our UH fans earned a great reputation for ʻtraveling well,‘" said Chancellor Hinshaw.

"This was a tremendous experience for the football team, athletics staff, fans, and the entire state of Hawai‘i. Through the visibility of the Sugar Bowl, the entire nation learned much more about our athletics and academic programs here at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and they also delighted in getting to know the impressive ʻohana we have here in Hawaiʻi. The UH Mānoa teams, on and off the field, worked hard to make this event a positive experience for our fans, at the game and here at home. The logistics were rather daunting, such as moving more than 600 members of the team, band, cheerleaders, and support staff more than 4,000 miles, housing them and transporting them to many required events.

"So many members of our UH ohana worked very hard throughout this process — from the folks who arranged the logistics of our trip to New Orleans on only a few weeks‘ notice, to our bookstore employees who provided our fans with UH merchandise, to our friends who organized celebrations — to all of these folks, I say ʻMahalo nui loa!‘

"Also, I know that there is a great deal of interest in ensuring that June Jones remains here as our football coach — and that is definitely our goal as well. We truly appreciate his outstanding efforts in leading us to the Sugar Bowl and producing successful student-athletes. It has always been our intent to make Coach Jones a firm offer that will keep him here, and I want to assure everyone that Athletics Director Herman Frazier is moving expeditiously to do just that," said Hinshaw.